Adidas Sues White Fox Over Four-Stripe Designs, Alleging Shoe Images Were Digitally Altered

Adidas has taken Australian fashion label White Fox Boutique to the Federal Court of Australia, alleging that clothing featuring four parallel stripes infringes its registered three-stripe trade marks.

The claim also challenges White Fox's promotional imagery. Adidas alleges that models wore genuine Adidas footwear in advertisements and that stripes were later digitally removed from some shoe images. White Fox's lawyers have declined to comment on the proceedings.

Why Adidas Is Challenging White Fox's Four-Stripe Designs

The proceedings were filed in September 2026 and updated on 1 October. Adidas alleges that White Fox began selling the disputed clothing in January, including sweatpants, lounge shorts and other apparel.

Adidas argues that the four-stripe designs are substantially identical or deceptively similar to its registered marks. It says they could create the impression that Adidas produced, authorised or approved the products, or was otherwise commercially connected to White Fox.

The sportswear company says it repeatedly asked White Fox to stop selling the disputed products, including in March. It alleges that its representatives bought examples of the clothing and photographed White Fox advertisements on buses and at bus stops around Sydney between April and June.

The filing also points to promotional images showing models wearing genuine Adidas footwear alongside White Fox clothing and socks. Adidas alleges that the images could reinforce an association between the brands.

Filing Alleges Stripes Were Removed From Shoe Images

One allegation concerns an online listing for White Fox socks dating from June 2025. Adidas says the photograph showed a model wearing pink Adidas trainers.

According to the filing, a few days after proceedings were lodged in September 2026, one of the trainers' three stripes was digitally removed from the image. Adidas alleges that a week later all three stripes had been removed.

These are allegations in Adidas' case, not findings by the court. The court has not determined whether White Fox infringed Adidas' trade marks or misled consumers.

Founded in Sydney in 2013 by Georgia and Daniel Contos, White Fox has grown into a youth-focused fashion retailer. The privately owned company reportedly generated A$542 million in revenue across Australia and the United States in the year to June 2025.

Adidas Has Faced Mixed Results in Other Stripe Disputes

The Australian case follows other disputes over Adidas' three-stripe branding, including litigation against US fashion designer Thom Browne.

In the United States, a jury found Thom Browne not liable in 2023 in a dispute involving its four-bar designs. On 29 April 2026, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the refusal to grant Adidas relief from that verdict after the company sought to reopen the judgment over emails that Thom Browne had not disclosed during discovery.

In the United Kingdom, the Court of Appeal in October 2025 upheld the invalidation of six particular Adidas three-stripe position marks. The court found that the registrations did not identify a single sign with the required clarity and precision.

The High Court had also dismissed Adidas' infringement and passing-off claims against Thom Browne. The 2025 appeal did not challenge that dismissal.

Those decisions do not determine the Australian proceedings. The White Fox dispute concerns the particular designs and registered marks Adidas relies on, rather than simply the number of stripes.

What Adidas Is Seeking

Adidas is seeking orders restraining White Fox from the alleged conduct, together with damages or an account of profits, interest and costs.

The first case-management hearing was scheduled for 9 October before Justice Ian Jackman. Such a hearing concerns the management of proceedings rather than a final determination of whether the disputed designs infringe Adidas' rights.